Salaries of registered nurses in the US are among the best in the world. This may beg the question, what is the average nurse salary? The national average salary of a registered nurse as at the time of writing is $65,327 per year which is well above the national average salary for all occupations.
The Salary Growth of Registered Nurses grew by 1.5% per year in the last decade and this is expected to grow further in this decade due to the surge in number of foreign nurses and an aging population that demand nursing care.
You might also be curious about the states that earn the most, well according to the BLS data, the top five highest paying states for registered nurses are: California, Hawaii, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Oregon.
Salaries differ considerably between metros and rural areas – the cost of living and nurses’ salaries are generally much higher in the cities.
Also, a newly qualified registered nurse will most definitely earn quite a bit less than the average registered nurse salary, which includes those with many years of experience. As you gain experience your salary will increase and you can also apply for another position which pays more – especially once you’ve gained at least a few years of experience in a particular field of nursing where there is a demand.
Finally, The average registered nurse salary is higher than the average national wage in the US and unemployment is low at 1.2%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts that the number of jobs for registered nurses will grow by 12% up to 2028 – considerably more than most other jobs. There are also lots of opportunities for nurses to increase their income through specialization or promotion.
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